New Neighbors
by Madcat
Summary: Digger Family moves to Nerima.
1. Default Chapter

New Neighbors:   
(Ranma/GoldDigger cross)  
Note: I don't own any of these characters. Please don't sue, I have no money.  
The Digger families move to Japan. The Ranma, Brit, Gina are about 17 when the stories began.   
Ranma timeline... after Saffron.  
Gold Digger timeline... I really don't know.  
Version 2.1   
  
Chapter 1. (Since no one bothers to read intros)  
  
Dr. Digger yawned as he tightened the belt on his bathrobe. He slowly strolled to the front door for the morning paper. The quiet morning was disturbed by a heavy thud at the front door. Dr. Diggers opened the door to an empty residential street. He then noticed an object at eye level in the doorframe to his left. The Sunday paper was firmly embedded in the wood around the door. "Hell even our newspaper delivery boy knows martial arts," Dr. Diggers said staring at a newspaper embedded into his doorframe.  
  
Meanwhile in the back yard....  
"Dull, dull, dull," Gina Digger's keep repeating to herself. She was in her family's small backyard at their new home. Her family had recently moved to Japan and her lab hadn't arrived yet. She amused herself rebuilding hand held phase array radar. Her adopted sister Britany was lounging on a towel in the sun. She sighed, "what was a seventeen year old to do in a new country." She then notices her sister retying her bikini top and then sitting up.  
  
"What's up Brit, I thought you were going to work on your tan," Gina said.  
  
"Something approaching quickly," Brit replied.  
  
At that moment a dot appeared in the sky. The dot rapidly increased in size as it closed on the Digger's back yard.  
  
"Incoming," Gina yelled before her sister grabbed her and ran her into the house.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" The scream was followed by a dull thud as the object crashed into the back yard. A minute later the two girls cautiously approached the crater.   
A voice could be heard barely from the crater. "Damn tomboy. I finally call off the damn engagement and she hits me. You think she'd be happy the number of times she's called off the engagement"!! The figure in the crater then stood up and began dusting himself off.  
  
"Excuse us," Gina said in passable Japanese. "Who are you"?  
  
A tall figure dressed in Chinese turned around and stared at the two girls. "I better apologize," he thought to himself. He said, "I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this". He then gave a low bow to both girls. "I'll come by later and fill the hole in if you wish".  
  
"Dad, we've got company," Brit yelled in English.  
  
"Would you care to come in," Gina managed to say in Japanese neverously. She had enough problems talking to guys much less talking to them in a foreign language.  
  
Ranma briefly consider the offer and accepted (he really didn't want to listen to his father rant, when he got back). "I be delighted," Ranma replied.  
  
Several minutes later Ranma is formally introduced to Dr. Digger, his wife (Julia)   
, and the two girls. Ranma noticed Dr. Digger make a small hand movement before sitting down (Ranma could have sworn, he saw a red aura around the hand. "We just moved here from the United States," Dr. Digger began in perfect Japanese. "I'm a researcher in..... ancient lore and my wife is a skilled swordswoman. My daughter Britany is the athletic one. And Gina is the inventor. Please tell us about yourself."   
"I'm Ranma Saotome of the 'Anything Goes School' of Martial Arts. I had a normal childhood until age six. My father then took me on a ten-year training mission through Asia. We returned to Japan a year ago. Since then life had been 'interesting' to say the least."  
"My daughter said you landed in our back yard. How in the world did you manage that," Ms. Digger asked in perfect Japanese.  
"That's a long story but.... My former fiancee hit me hard enough, that I landed in you back yard," Ranma said.  
After a minute the Diggers recovered from a family face fault. "Are you sure your not exaggerating," Brit said as she stared at Ranma.  
"Hmmm... I know, I will demonstrate chi," Ranma said. He laid an arm upright on the table and concentrated. The Diggers stared in amazement as a small ball of blue light appeared in Ranma's hand.  
"How'd you manage that," Ms. Digger asked with sudden interest. Gina just stared in amazement at the ball of light.  
"As I said. I spent my whole life training in martial arts. I learned to generate and harness chi like this," Ranma said. "My former fiancee can only channel her chi into her strength. Strength she like to use, when she got angry with me".  
  
Dr. Digger studied the boy closely before speaking. "Ranma, do you believe in magic," he said.  
  
Ranma laughed and the ball of chi faded. "I've seen enough magic to last me for a lifetime. I could tell you stories, you wouldn't believe," Ranma said with a smile.  
  
"I noticed you have some magic surrounding you," the doctor said. "It almost seems like a curse".  
  
Ranma's jaw dropped. "How'd you know?"  
  
"As I said, I study ancient lore of many types," Dr. Digger's said. "If you don't mind. What type of curse do you have?"  
"I hate to say, it's kind of embarrassing," Ranma replied nervously. "But would you know how to cure a Jusenkyo curse?"  
"Jusenkyo," Dr. Master's replied. "I think, I can help you, Ranma. But I need you to keep this a secret," the doctor said.   
  
"Sir, as long as it's nothing wrong. I'll agree," Ranma said after a minute.   
  
Dr. Digger's raised a hand and drew a rune in red light in the air. "Hmmm...," the Doctor said. "It appears your curse will be harder to cure than expected. Have you been exposed to any other sources of magic."  
  
"Let's see there is the 'Dragon Whisker Soup, the 'Phoenix Pill', that damn mirror of the amazons,....". Several minutes later Ranma said, "I guess that about covers the magic; I've been exposed to.   
  
"The problem, Ranma, is the various types of magic have joined. The magic, curses, and spells have formed a weave around you. I cannot unravel easily. If I cure one without thought of the others....".  
  
"What," Ranma asked.  
  
"Many things could happen," Dr. Digger's replied. "Anything from changing your eye color to horribly mutating your body."  
  
"That's bad, right," Ranma asked?  
  
  
.Several hours later at the Tendo's.............  
  
The Tendo family was sitting around the table for dinner. Soun was crying his eyes out and threating to drown the rest of the family. Genma sulked and munched on his son's portion of dinner. Akane sat there contemplating her fourth set of broken a chopstick (that was of course Ranma's fault). "Hi, sorry I'm late!" Ranma said as he landed in the back yard.   
Genma and Soun immediately jumped to their feet and charged the boy. "You will apologize for what you said to Akane," Genma yelled. "You'll marry, Akane," Soun yelled.  
  
Ranma smiled and became a red blur of movement charging at the men.  
  
.Several seconds later....  
Ranma dusted his shirt off as he walked causally past the two unconscious men. Akane taking the excuse raised her mallet as she charged Ranma. "How dare you attack my father," she screamed winding up with the mallet. Ranma jumped over the charging girl to and continued into the house. Akane unexpecting the turn of events tripped and created a trench in the ground with her head.  
Akane regained consciousness and overheard the conversation from inside. "You realize, you hurt Akane, don't you Ranma!" Nabiki said with venom in her voice.   
"I don't see why you care Nabiki," Ranma replied eating. "I'm just a finical burden to you and a unwanted pain in the ass to your sister. You'll both be happier without me."  
  
"You better not plan on staying here," Nabiki said. "Because my father will... !"  
  
"Nope! I'm leaving tonight and going home," Ranma said cheerfully. "You might as well stop acting so hurt. The only downside to this is your losing a source of income." With that Ranma ran upstairs and began packing his clothes.  
  
Akane stumbled crying into the house and was quickly hugged by Kasumi. After several minutes the girls heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Akane quickly disentangled herself from her sister and headed for the stairs.  
Akane attempted to slap Ranma, who deftly avoided the attack and held Akane in a tight hug. He then leaned close to Akane's ear and whispered quietly. "Akane, It's for the best that, I go. It would never work out." He then whispered almost too quietly to hear, "I realized, I don't love you. I can admit that now, we'd never be happy together." He kissed her on her left cheek and let her go. He then turned and walked into the den. Akane stood there stunned, unable to follow Ranma. He then underarm a small bundle of yen and said, "that what I owe you, Nabiki". He then turned to Kasumi and bowed and said, "it has been an honor staying at your home. I just wish, I was leaving on better circumstances. He said over his shoulder as he left, "goodbye... I'll miss you all"!  
  
Chapter 2:  
Ranma stood in front of a door gathering his courage. He then raised a hand and was about to knock, when the door opened. "Ranma, what are you doing here," Nodoka asked?  
  
"I have ended my engagement with Akane and I'd like to return home," Ranma said.  
  
"Oh my! You better come in so we can talk about this," Nodoka said.  
  
.Several minutes later in the Nodoka's den....  
  
"Ranma, tell me what happened, but first. Where is your father," Nodoka asked?  
  
"Genma is unconscious at the Tendo's," Ranma said. "He doesn't even know, I'm here. But the reason I ended the engagement is complex. I've spent some time since my fight with Saffron thinking. I realized, I don't love Akane. We have some things in common but.... I realized, I've come to hate her. I once heard a saying in China, 'that which one hates most is often that which one once loved'. We had our moments but.... Not enough to build a relationship on," he said in a tired voice.  
  
"That's your decision Ranma," Nodoka replied. "But have you considered you other fiancees," she asked.  
  
"Well.... I not really interested in them either," he finally said.  
  
  
The next morning at the Digger's house...  
  
Gina opened the front door of the house and ran into Ranma. "Hi guys," Ranma said.   
  
"Well hello, Ranma," Ms. Digger said as she approached the door. "What are you doing here," she asked.   
"I thought, I would walk your daughters to school," Ranma replied. "You are both going to Furinken High School," he said to Gina and Brit.  
  
"Yeah.... that's right," Gina managed to stammer.  
  
"Well, we better get going," Ranma said to the girls.  
  
Several minutes later the trio was on their way to school.  
  
The quiet morning was broken by a barely audible 'ring.. ring' Ranma didn't even bother turning to the origin of the sound. He rolled to once side, barely avoiding an incoming projectile. Shampoo failing to connect to Ranma's skull landed face forward, when her bike flipped. Ranma turned to the two girls and said, "we should keep going or will be late for school."   
  
"Should we leave her," Gina said as she looked at the unconscious girl.  
  
"Shampoo, she'll be fine," Ranma said. "I've seen her take worse hits. And anyway Moose is here to take care of her," he continued. "Hey Moose, you should probably take her home!"  
A tall figure in robes stepped out from a nearby alley. "I'll fight you later, Ranma," Moose said as he picked up the unconscious girl.  
"So does that happen often around here," Gina said looking at the twisted metal frame of the bike.  
"All the time," Ranma said as he continued walking. Several minutes later the trio entered Furinken High School.  
"Hold scolderal," Kuno yelled. He raised his bokken and took a stance. "It has come to my attention, that you made, Akane Tendo cry!"   
Ranma smiled to himself and thought, "now to release some stress"! Ranma smiled and said, "my relationship to Akane Tendo is not your concern, Kuno!"  
  
"You dare! Have at thee," Kuno yelled as he charged.  
  
Gina and Brit watched as Ranma closed on Kuno. The next few minutes Ranma spent bouncing Kuno of trees, walls, and the ground. Ranma left the battered form of Kuno. He turned to the girls and said, "we better get moving or will be late!"  
  
  
Later at lunch....  
The day had been agonizing for Ranma. He was now sitting under a tree by himself to get away from his classmates. His classmate asked about his relationship to the Digger sisters. There were also the questions about Akane.  
  
"Hey! Ranma," Brit yelled as the two sisters walked to where Ranma was sitting.  
  
"O! Hey...," Ranma replied looking up at the two girls.  
  
"What's the matter? You look really depressed," Brit said.  
  
"It's... nothing," Ranma said.  
  
Gina decided to change to subject asked, "what's with the guy this morning".  
  
"Kuno?!" Ranma smiled, "now that's a story." He then describes Kuno's relationship to Akane.  
  
"You sure, you're not exaggerating," Brit asked?  
  
"Hard to believe? I'll admit, I dislike him. But the story is the truth. Kuno will probably arrive in a few minutes to attack me. He tries every lunch," Ranma said with a smile.  
"Hold vile sorcerer," Kuno yelled as he strode to the trio's location. "Are your conquest not enough, you enemy of women!! I shall deliver you to justice," Kuno yelled!  
  
"I think, I understand now," Brit said listening to the kendoist bellowing.   
  
Further ranting was ended when Soun and Genma literally landed on Kuno. "We are here to punish you, son," Genma yelled! "You will marry Akane and carry on the 'Anything Goes School of martial arts'," Soun yelled.  
"No," Ranma said. He quickly packed up the meager leftovers from lunch (Yes, leftovers. He's been talking).  
"You brought this on yourself," Genma yelled as he charged Ranma. He charge was abruptly ended as Ranma connected a foot to his face. Soun ignored Genma's flying body as began concentrating.  
A red hue surrounded Soun and he launched a Tendo special of the 'Anything Goes School'. His massive 'demon head' threatened to intimidate even Ranma with it's horror factor.   
No one noticed Brit's eye grew large with fear. Few people heard her scream. People did notice several seconds later a large (and shapely) figure charge Soun. The large eye of the demon head barely blinked before a fur cover hand hit the figure right between the eyes.  
Ranma was the only figure, who saw the attack clearly. His eyes were wide in terror as he watched deliver forty punches to the 'demon head'. His terror increased after Soun collapsed and the figure ran towards him.   
  
"What's with Ranma," Brit asked her sister.  
  
"He didn't know about your ability," Gina answered. "He's also afraid of cats and now seems to be in shock!"  
  
Ranma stood there stammering quietly and staring at Gina. Gina grabbed him by his shoulders and tried to shake him out of it. "Ranma, calm down. It's me, Brit," she said.  
Ranma's poor mind gave up at this point and his body relaxed in her grip. The few remaining spectators felt with dread what was coming up. Gina and Brit stood in disbelief at Ranma.  
"Meow..," a loud noise sounded from Ranma. Gina released Ranma and he settled on his haunches. He then began licking his arm like a cat.  
  
"Any ideas, sis," Brit said to her sister. Her sister silently shook her head.  
  
A girl slowly approached the trio. Ranma turned to face the girl. "Meow?!"  
  
She sat down and extended a hand to Ranma. "Ranma. Here kitty," the girl called. Ranma walked on all fours slowly toward the girl. When he was about ten feet away, he stopped and meowed again. He then slowly turned and returned to the Digger sisters. He then jumped at Brit. Brit's reflexes allow her to catch Ranma before he impacted.   
Brit stared in amazement at the bundle of purring flesh in her lap. "Can anyone tell me what's going on," she said in a stunned voice.  
The girl, who had called to Ranma earlier now, approached. "It's the 'Cat Fist Training'! His father threw him repeatedly into a pit of staring cats at age six. He now deals with his fear of cats in this way," she said.  
  
"You are," Gina asked?  
  
"Ukyo," she replied. "And you are?"  
  
"Gina and Britany Diggers." She then turned to her bundle and said, "well at least he's not violent," Brit said. "He's acting like a harmless kitten," she said.  
"Only if he likes you," Ukyo said. Kuno took that moment to regain his feet on the other side of the schoolyard. Ranma opened one eye and swiped a hand in the air.  
Brit and Gina watched in amazement as Kuno's body was flung thirty feet before landing. "I see what you mean," Gina said.  
  
"I'll be right back," Ukyo said. A minute later she returned with a bucket. She stared at Brit for a moment (who had returned human). "How do you do that," she asked.  
  
"I'll explain later," Brit said.  
  
"Hold still," Ukyo said as she poured water on Ranma (and Brit).  
  
"Welcome back Ranma," Akane said dropping the bucket.  
  
"What the hell.....," Ranma said as he jumped up. "Oh.. It's you, Akane," Ranma said.  
  
"Ranma," the Digger girls replied staring at the now female figure?!  
  
"Yeah, it's me," Ranma said. "It put it simply this is my cursed form. My body changes but, my emotions and thoughts remain the same."  
  
"I think its kewl," Brit said. "You wanta go clothes shopping at the mall."  
  
"What," Ranma asked in shock?!  
  
"Well with a body like that, you really should show it off," Brit said.  
  
  
  
  
.Several hours later...  
Ranma was spared the embarrassment/torture of clothes shopping with the Digger girls. They stopped by an ice-cream parlor and sent several hours talking. The group had discussed the 'Cat Fist' and his curse by the time they arrived at the Digger home. Gina also had explained her shapeshifting. Once they arrived at the Digger house, Ranma excused himself and quickly left the group.  
  
"So what do you think of Nerima," Brit asked?  
  
"I don't know yet," Gina said. "But I doubt it'll be dull."  
  
"So what do you thinks of Ranma," Brit asked?  
  
"I do know... He's rough around the edges but seems a nice guy."  
  
"Really I thought you might be falling for him," Brit said mockingly.  
  
"It's not like that... He's a nice guy and all, but he's not my type," Gina said.  
  
"Whatever," Brit said. "If not for his fear of cat, I might consider chasing him," she said.  
  
"Come on. I don't want to be late for dinner," Gina said before they entered the house.  
  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
In the Saotome's back yard a short time later...  
  
"Ranma," Genma yelled! "I taking you back to the Tendo's boy."  
  
"You can't make me, Pop," Ranma replied.  
  
"Wanta bet boy," he yelled! He flung the pail of water at Ranma.  
  
Ranma attempted to dodge but, the water still splashed him.  
  
".....," Genma began only to stop. A male and wet Ranma stood before Genma. Genma was so stunned; he wasn't able to dodge his son's counter attack. Ranma stood there as his father pulled himself from the crater in the wall surrounding the backyard.  
  
"Your cured?! Ranma, I demand, you tell me how you got cured," Genma said.   
  
"How much is it worth to you," Ranma replied.  
  
"What do you want, son," Genma replied?  
  
"I want you to stop attempting to marry me to Akane," Ranma replied. "We've been put through enough by you two morons!"  
Genma was silent a moment and said, "all right boy, what's the secret". "I don't have to keep this promise," Genma though to himself.  
Ranma noticing a small smirk on Genma knew his father was lying. "All right Pop, the answer is simple". "I gotta think of something to tell the moron," Ranma thought. Ranma smiled and said, "It must have been Akane's cooking."  
Genma was running for the Tendo's before Ranma had finished closing his mouth. "Sucker," Ranma said to himself as he went back inside. "That waterproof soap, I ordered from China was worth the money," he thought to himself.  
  
  
Several hours later at the Tendo home....  
"Are you sure, Genma? You don't look so well," Soun said in a concerned voice. "Maybe this isn't how Ranma cured himself."  
"I'm fine... Soun.. Ranma is enough of a moron to believe my promise Soun," Genma muttered fighting against a upset stomach.  
"Here's some more Mr. Saotome," Kasumi said cheerfully as she ladled 'food' onto his plate. "Oh my! Ryouga and Shampoo don't look so well! Are you sure they'll be okay father," she asked? The two unfortunate martial artists had both been looking for Ranma at the Tendo's, when Genma are arrived. The news of Ranma's 'cure' had quickly led to Akane cooking (shudder). Ryouga was drooling and twitching randomly. Shampoo apparently though she was a valkyrie from a German opera and was attempting to sing (in German).  
Nabiki sat there watching the spectacle with growing anticipation. "Shortly I be able to overcharge for some Rolaids. "Hmm... I doubt Ranma has cured himself. He probably uses the soap to stay male. With these morons eating Akane's cooking... Everyone will be too sick to bother Ranma (except Kuno). I wonder if Ranma actually planned this? Nah.. Ranma not that smart," she thought to herself.   
Akane was smiling to herself in the kitchen. "Someone finally appreciates my cooking," she said to herself.  
  
In the shadows near the Tendo house Colonge watched the unsuspecting gathering. "So Ranma is cured!? Well if it's Akane's cooking... I'm Sailor Moon," she thought to herself.  
"Princess! Thank goodness I found you," a white cat behind Colonge said. "Quickly take this brooch so you can fight the Negaverse".  
Colonge smacked the cat with her cane and quickly slung the unconscious cat over her shoulder.  
"I looks like, I'll be eating traditional Chinese tonight," she said to herself as she hobbled off (Sorry dear reader.. lack of sleep or satan made me do it.).   
  
  
Back at the Digger's house........  
"Ranma, I think, I have some leads for you," Dr. Diggers said. "I came across several possible cures for you. One is a 'Miracle Tree' at the Maskai shrine. This is the easiest to try. The second is a temple in the land of Jade. The others would be difficult if not impossible. They include a wish sword rumored to belong to a Kuno family. The legendary 'Seven Balls of the Elder Dragon', The Holy Grail, the Mage Macross the Black, and the 'Bast Amulet'."  
  
"I already tried the wish sword, but.... The Masaki shrine sounds worth a try," Ranma said.  
  
"Road trip," Brit yelled!  
  
"I quess we're tagging along," Gina said. "That is if there aren't any objections," she said looking at her parents.  
  
"Fine with me dear," Julia replied. "I'll call the shrine and ask if they have sleeping arrangements."  
  
  
"Well if you two want to go," Ranma said. "How about we leave Friday? That way if it turns out to be any sign of a cure, we'll have a weekend to investigate it."  
  
  
Meanwhile in the backyard....  
Happi slowly raised his head over the wall surrounding the Digger's house. " Now for my silky darlings," he said to himself.  
Elsewhere in the Digger grounds. Target acquired... Processing data... Unidentified target... Targeting.. Starting combat protocols...  
Happosai gently lowered himself to the ground and surveyed the backyard. He gently stepped around several tripwires that stretched the perimeter of the Digger back yard. "Now where would my silky darlings be kept?" The ground exploded infront of Happi throwing him back into the wall. His landing set off two more land mines that blew the short martial artist into the wall surrounding the backyard. He slowly pried himself from the wall and noticed two sentry guns that had burst from their hiding place.   
  
The family inside the house heard muted explosions from the backyard. "What's that," Ranma asked.  
"A home security system," Gina said with pride. "I heard this area has notorious perverts, so I built a security system yesterday!"  
  
The next morning.........  
  
The trio entered the front gates of Furinken High School, when a familiar voice called out. "Hold vile fiend," Kuno bellowed. The kendoist left his tree and advanced on Ranma  
  
"What now, Kuno," Ranma said.  
  
"You will address me as upperclassman," Kuno said.  
  
"Whatever," Ranma replied.  
  
"You have given up your vile grasp on Akane. Now I demand you free these girls from your grasp. I saw the evil curse you put on my 'sun-haired goddess'," Kuno bellowed. Brit took the opportunity to walk up to Kuno and kneed him in the groin. No one notice the arrival of Akane in the background.  
  
"Well that was different," Ranma said as he winced in sympathy.  
  
"Hey Ranchan," Ukyo said as she walked up.  
  
"Hey Uchan," Ranma said.  
  
"You interested in seeing a movie later," Uchan asked as they approach the door of Furinken High School.  
  
"Sure. What time," Ranma asks?  
  
Akane, who's walking behind them being growing extremely angry. "Ranma no baka...," Akane screams as she attacks. Ranma begins to cringe. He amazed; he's conscious several seconds later. Ranma turns around and shudders. The mallet is suspended several inches from his head by a furry hand.  
The furry hand belongs to Brit, who has gone 'cat'. "Akane, I believe that is uncalled for. Will you please not attack Ranma, Akane," Brit asks.   
  
"This... This pervert... deserves it," Akane sputters with venom in her voice.  
  
"No he doesn't, Akane," Ukyo said. "You have no right to continue hitting him. Remember Ranma might have a problem fighting girls but, I sure as hell don't." With that Ukyo grabbed Ranma's elbow as escorted him into the school.  
  
Later at lunch four people sit under a large tree in the Furinken schoolyard...  
  
"Brit, I forgot to thank you for helping Ranma earlier," Ukyo said.  
  
"No problem, Ukyo," Brit said. "What was she so mad about anyway?"  
  
"She always has a short fuse," Ukyo said. "Hasn't she, Ranma?"  
  
Ranma looks up from the lunch, he'd been eating. "Yeah... But let's not gossip, I will not help anything."  
"Ranma Saotome prepare to die!!!" With that a figure leaped over the wall of Furinken High school.   
"O..," Ranma said dodging the incoming umbrella. "Hey, I'll like you to meet Ryouga."  
  
"Ranma...," Ryouga began on to stop, when he notice three cute girls staring at him. "Uh... Hi!  
I'm, Ryouga," he said.  
  
"If you haven't heard, I ended the engagement with Akane," Ranma said.  
  
"I.. Huh...," Ryouga said looking at him.  
  
"No I'm not kidding. If you're willing to stop trying to kill me, I know a possible cure," Ranma said.  
  
"You're lying," Ryouga screamed before he leapt at Ranma. Ryouga was splashed in mid-flight and caught by a hairy hand. Ranma quickly closed his eyes to avoid looking at Brit's werecheetah form.   
  
"Oh... Isn't he cute," Brit said holding P-chan by his bandana  
  
"Hey," Akane yelled as she stormed over. "That's my pet!"  
  
"Really!? Here you go," she said handing the pig to Akane. Akane immediately hugged the pig tightly into her chest.  
  
"Pardon me, Akane," Gina said. "Do you normally refer to Ryouga as a 'pet'."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about," Akane yelled. "P-chan isn't Ryouga.  
  
Ukyo resolved the arguement by dumping hot ramen noodles and sauce on P-chan. Leaving Akane holding a naked Ryouga.  
"R.... Ry.... Ryouga?! Die," Akane screamed as she conducted a 40 hit combo with a mallet to Ryouga's skull. Akane eventually stopped pounding the unconscious Ryouga and stormed off.  
  
"Gosh, what else could happen today," Gina asked.  
  
A dull ringing of a bell could be heard rapidly approaching. The bike jumped the wall of Furinken High school and streaked for stunned Ranma. The front tire impacted into Ranma's skull and the rear tire landed on Brit's lunch.  
  
"Nihao! Husband go on date now," Shampoo said.  
  
Ranma's muffled reply was drowned out by a scream. "You dare attack a defenseless can of 'tuna'," Brit screamed!!! The onlooker notice the rear tire of the bike had smeared a can of tuna into the ground.  
The next several minutes were filled with screams, curses, and the crunch of metal. Ranma kept his eyes closed through the whole process.  
  
.An hour later at the 'Cat Cafe'.......  
  
"Now where could Shampoo be," Colonge wondered. The door to the cafe opened and a misshapen figure stumbled into the door. Colonge raised an eyebrow at Shampoo's battered and bruised form. She was also suprised by the multiple knots someone had tied the bike in around Shampoo.  
  
"Shampoo has got new rival," she said before passing out.  
  
The next day at Furinken High School at lunch......  
  
Ranma was eating lunch, when he detected an attack. "Ranma for what you did to Shampoo, prepare to die!!!" The Digger girls watched in amazement as Moose began attacking a tree nearby.  
  
  
Chapter 4. Ranma's Quest: (Masaki Shrine)  
  
Several days later Ranma and the girls return to the Digger household.  
  
"How'd the trip turn out," Ms. Digger asked the trio?  
  
"No help on the cure but, it did turn out to be an interesting visit," Ranma said.  
  
"Why don't you tell me how it went," Dr. Digger said.  
  
Ranma sat down at the kitchen table as the girl carried their bags to their rooms. "We arrived at the Masaki shrine with no problem. We met the priest, Yosho. He was kind enough to show up around the shrine and gave us directions to the 'Miracle Tree'. I spent several hours meditating under the tree following Yosho's advice, before... Well maybe I should let Brit continue," Ranma said.  
Well since Ranma was doing nothing but sitting under a tree, we moved our bags in the shrine and setup our sleeping bags in a storage room. We walked into the woods and found a small clearing. Gina started to modify a MKII grenade launcher and I decided to get a tan. I didn't want tan lines and so.... And so half an hour later we heard and explosion. And the next thing I know, I see a charred figure about to crash into the ground. And so I caught him. And then... Ranma why don't you continue?"  
"Well I heard the explosion and so I ran in the direction the noise was coming from. And I found your daughter and one charred and half-naked guy. This I could have dealer with but.... Two other young ladies showed up. They were apparently young for the young man and they weren't happy to see us. They yelled something about tramps and attacked us. They were tough, if they hadn't fought each other as much as us... We'd might have been in trouble.  
  
  
  
  
Elsewhere.....  
"Ranma Saotome prepare to die," Ryouga said. "Smack!" Ryouga stared at the figure stuck in the wall. "You're not Ranma," he said. The hairs on the back of Ryouga's neck stood up. He turned around slowly and was confronted with two girls.  
  
"Truce," Ayeka asked?  
  
"Truce," Ryoko replied with an evil grin?  
  
Fadeout with the sound of Ryouga's screaming..............  
  
  
  
Chapter 5. Ranma's Quest: (El Hazard)  
  
"Where to begin... So what happened was.......  
  
Ranma slowly opened his eyes and glanced around. "Hmmm.... Definitly not Nerima," Ranma said.  
He glanced at the dense woods surrounding him.   
  
"Christ! Where am I...," a voice said a short distance to his left.  
  
Ranma turned and headed in the direction of the voice.  
  
Ranma heard two people talking briefly but he failed to hear what they said. He suddenly stumped out of the dense ferns and into a clearing. He noticed two men staring at him. The older one was dressed in a set of sweats and needed a shave. The younger one was dressed in a school uniform.  
  
"Uh... Hi. I'm Ranma Saotome. Do you know where we are," Ranma asked?  
  
"I'm Makoto Mizuhara and he is Masumiji Fujisawa ," the younger one said.  
  
"How did you get here," asked Makoto?  
  
"Let's see... We were visit some high school so Gina could meet her pen pal," Ranma said.  
  
"How about you Mr. Fujisawa," Makoto asked?  
  
"Not sure, one minute I was eating, the next I was wrestling the shrubs," said the teacher as he threw his cup over his shoulder. "Guess I'll be heading back now, I'm working nights now, can't keep the campus open."  
"Ya know, something seems out of place here. This might not be Japan, or even earth," said Makoto nervously.  
Gee, what makes you say that Makoto?" said Ranma dryly as he emerged from the bushes with what looked like a red eel with wings in his grasp. He let it go and it flew off squawking loudly.  
"Uh huh, have you two been hanging out with Haiashi of the science fiction club?" asked Fujisawa. "Well I gotta hit the road."  
  
"And just what road will you be taking?" asked Makoto.  
  
"What? You think I don't know," said Fujisawa defensively.  
  
"No," replied Ranma digging through more bushes.  
  
"Will you quit that? Who knows what you'll pull out of there!" cried Makoto. Fujisawa looked around. "You're right, I don't know," he said. "I know! I'll just ask the next person who comes along."  
A strange creature emerged from the bushes and made his way across the clearing they were standing in. Makoto and Fujisawa stood in shock. "Uh, sensei? You didn't ask him," said Makoto.  
"You saw him too? I thought I had the DTs. I need a cigarette," said the teacher as he fumbled for his lighter. He inhaled deeply and frowned. "A drink that'll calm my nerves," he muttered and reached for his bottle. He looked into it and gasped. "Gone! It's all gone! God I need a drink I can't live with out it! I need a drink!" he cried hysterically.  
  
"And I though Soun's crying was annoying," muttered Ranma as he walked over to them.  
  
Then someone screamed.   
  
"Oh, shit! Someone else is out of alcohol!" cried Fujisawa.  
  
Fujisawa stared at her and moved in front of the boys. His face turned completely red. "Stop looking you're too young! I know how easily you kids get stimulated."  
  
"It's nothing I haven't seen before," commented Ranma under his breath.  
  
"Sensei what's that?" cried Makoto.  
  
"Do I have to blind fold you? I told you not to look," cried the man.   
  
"No, I'm not talking about that, look," Makoto grabbed the teachers head and forcing him to look at the purple mass that was coming towards them.   
  
"What in the hell do you think of that?" said Fujisawa.  
  
"You run, I'll carry her," Ranma yelled.  
  
"Come on Fujisawa," said Makoto before running.  
  
"I'll be with you in a second," Ranma yelled. Said Ranma, who quickly threw the woman over his right shoulder and turned to face the approaching enemy. Several of the large bug things jumped at Ranma. Ranma quickly jumped backwards carrying his unconscious burden and fired off a quick chi blast at the landing figures. Several of the figures fell in smoking piles and several more were thrown into the approaching horde. Ranma quickly took a stance after landing. And the horde stopped and quickly formed ranks. "Now for the Anything Goes School of martial arts final attack," he yelled loudly. "Ready! Set! Run-away..." Ranma yelled before disappearing into the forest.  
The horde stopped following. The horde then turned around and headed in the opposite direction from Ranma. "I wonder what this is all about," Ranma said before heading after Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa. He shortly reached a clearing with the two men and several other strangers. "Hey Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa, those things gave up chasing me," Ranma said as he landed next to the two figures. Uhh.. Hi," Ranma said.   
A tall dark skinned man walked over to them and kneeled. "Great warrior, we are forever in your debt for saving the life of our princess. From what kingdom do you hail?" he looked at Makoto and gasped. "Incredible!" The women helped the woman they had saved to her feet and she looked at Makoto with a gaze of pure joy.   
"Fatora! You're back! Where have you been? I've been so   
worried about you!"  
"Uh oh, I'm afraid there has been some confusion, I'm not your friend Fatora," said Makoto.  
  
"You're not her?" said the girl in surprise.  
  
"My name is Makoto Mizuhara."  
  
"I can vouch for him you see he's one of my students. Oh, where are my manners? I am Masumiji Fujisawa, a teacher at Shinanome state high school. Pleased to meet you."   
  
"And I am Ranma of the Anything Goes school of martial arts," said the other boy as he bowed politely.  
"It must be fate, we were on our way to consult the Oracle this very day to learn the whereabouts of princess Fatora. Meeting you must be a sign from god," said the tall man to the little group.  
  
"Yes," agreed the woman.  
  
"Perhaps you two could answer something for me? Just where exactly is this place?" asked Fujisawa. "We really need to get back to school cause I'm sure some people are probably looking for us."   
  
"No, we can't let you return without repaying you," said the man to them. "It would be an embarrassment to the royal house, please allow us to return you to the palace to reward you for your bravery."   
  
"We can't accept rewards, it's against the martial arts code," said Ranma.  
"Ah.. Ranma. We do not want to be rude to these people, lets go with them," said Makoto calmly.  
"But, I have to get back I have classes to teach," said Fujisawa to them.  
"I will simply not take no for an answer, come along now. I am Lanz chief servant to the royal family," said the man pulling Fujisawa along.  
  
"But I have a job to do," insisted Fujisawa.  
  
"Prepare the Transport at once!" cried Lanz.  
  
Once loaded aboard the ship Ranma quickly found a comfortable niche and went to sleep. The others began a conversation nearby.  
"Tell me more of this land from whence you came. I wish to know more of this kingdom," said Lanz. "Ah, I see you enjoy our wine."   
"Yea this is good stuff," replied Fujisawa, already in a half-drunken state.  
  
"But that girl, she said something about El-Hazard," said Makoto.  
  
"The woman you rescued leads the many tribes of El-Hazard, She is Princess Rune Venus. A member of the royal family of Roshtaria, whose blood line has long ruled this land," said Lanz proudly. Ranma opened a eye and closed it shortly thereafter.  
  
"Your friend doesn't speak much," said the man watching the Ranma carefully.  
"He not really a friend. We just met today. But he did say our lives," replied Makoto glancing at Ranma.  
  
"Whasat?" slurred Fujisawa as a light approached.  
  
"Do not be alarmed, we approach Floristica the royal city of Roshtaria!" said Lanz dramatically as they exited the forest and the great city came into view.  
  
"Whoa!" cried Makoto.  
  
"This is better than a commercial," quipped Fujisawa.  
  
"Hmm, impressive," agreed Ranma slightly opening an eyelid.  
  
They flew over a great city with Persian architecture and great plants and gardens could be seen on many of the buildings. The air ship approached the largest building and settled in the courtyard. They were led down a hall and ran into Lanz's back as he stopped.   
  
Fade to present....  
"And so it turned out Makoto looked like the missing princess. So he eventually volunteered to impersonate the missing princess to calm the alliance members. While Makoto and Mr. Fujisawa stayed in Roshtaria, while I went to help the alliance defend it's borders against the bugrum. After several weeks I managed to capture the new bugrum military leader. He was some guy name Katsuhiko Jinnai. He was also from Earth. Without him the bugrum advance turned to a retreat. I returned to Roshtaria to find a race known as the 'Phantom Tribe' trying to unleash an ancient weapon (Eye of God). There was a short and brutal fight before we regained control of the stairway to Heaven (that controlled the Eye of God), but we were too late. The 'Phantom Tribe' succeeded in starting the ancient weapon. The weapon created rifts in the fabric of space and time destroying a large part of the surrounding area. Suddenly a new enemy appeared on the stairway. The Queen of the bugrum had release Ifurita (a demon god) from her tomb. After a brutal fight in which Lanz died, Makoto stopped Ifurita's rampage. He managed to free Ifurita from the compulsion to obey the bugrum Queen. I later learned she was the one, who sent us originally to El-Hazard. She left El-Hazard and arrived a thousand years ago in Japan. She then built a small shrine and slept for a thousand years for Makoto to awaken her. A year later on El-Hazard Makoto found a way to return to the present Earth. And so here I am," Ranma said finishing his story to the Digger family.  
  
**Eye catches #1**  
We see a SD Happosai run across the screen followed by a a male Ranma, a werecheetah, a suit of power armor, a glowing skull, a red haired barbarian swordwoman, and a patton tank.  
**End eye catch**  
  
*******************  
  



	2. New Neighbors 2

  
  
  
New Neigh Part2:  
  
Jade: The Violent World  
  
Ranma slowly marched up the mountain trail towards the top of the mountain.  
He still could believe how he got here. It started several months previously, when Ranma had become Ms. Digger's student at his mother's prompting. Ranma continued to search for a cure to his curse even after the Masaki and El-Hazaed trips. After training for several months with Julia (Ms. Digger), Ranma received an invitation to visit Julia's homeland. So here he was in a parallel world alone. Ms. Digger had received an important letter soon after their arrival and she decided to part company with Ranma for the time being. She had walked him to the base of this mountain and told him, that there was a famous sensei at the top of the mountain. She had told Ranma that the sensei  
was an old teacher and would be happy to teach him. The only strange thing was Julia told Ranma, that the sensei only instructed females. And so a female Ranma finally reached the end of the mountain trail and arrived at a large iron bound gate.  
"Damn, I wish this outfit wasn't so draft", he said to himself. His short training outfit was covering less than a one-piece bikini and would likely result in Ranma catch a cold by the end of the week. "But Julia said, this was the only way to get into Master Leep's training grounds.   
Unfortunately this pervert is the greatest martial-arts instructor Jade has ever seen according to Julia."  
  
"Halt", a voice cried as two fighters landed on either side of the gate.  
  
"I'm here to see Master Leep", Ranma said as he quickly took a stance.  
  
"Why would he take you for a student", the shorthaired brunette said.   
  
"Because I don't lose", Ranma replied.  
  
"Well let Master Leep deiced that", the blond replied. She then whistled and the front gate to the school opened. The two women escorted   
Ranma into the school and towards a small pavilion. His two escorts left Ranma in the presence of a short balding man in a white gi. "I might as well  
be polite", Ranma said. He bowed and said, "Master Leep, I am Ranma Saotome  
of the 'Anything Goes School of Martial Arts'", he said.  
Ranma jumped as he felt someone goose him under the edge of the outfit. Ranma turned around and discovered Master Leep standing several feet away. "You must always be alert", Master Leep said with a wide grin on his face.  
"Why you...", Ranma yelled as his battle aura flared.  
  
The training compound was suddenly filled with yelling and explosions. Master Leep's student armed herself and raced towards the noise. The students were stunned, when they saw the spectacle before them.  
The blurred form of Master Leep and a short red haired girl were streaking across an almost vertical cliff face. Sections of the cliff would occasionally disappear as the red haired girl Could attempt to hit Master   
Leep with glowing balls of light. The cliff face was already potmarked with over a score of large craters. The students watched as the two figure crashed into the ground at the base of the cliffs. Master Leep's student slowly approached the crater only to have four of their number scream in outrage as they were goosed.  
The red hair girl stood up in a shallow crater and yelled, "don't put your hands on me again pervert".  
"Hmmm! No scene of humor", Master Leep said. "I was only demonstrating one the basic principles...".  
"Whatever pervert! Ms. Julia Digger said you were the best instructor on Jade. She also said you'd teach me until she comes for me", Ranma yelled.  
  
"Anyway, that is a discussion for another time", Leep said. "Tina, escort my new student to a free bunk in the barracks."  
  
"Yes, sensei", a tall brunette replied. She then turned to Ranma and said, "this way please.  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders and follower Tina towards the dorm. "If nothing else the scenery ain't half bad", Ranma thought to himself as he watched Tina walk in front of him.   
Tina spoke several minutes later when they reached the barracks, "Are you a student of Julia's".  
  
"Hmm... Yeah, I have no for several months", Ranma replied. Ranma missed the gleam in her eye as Tina led him into the dorm.  
  
Meanwhile, back in Nerima....  
  
Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodiachi, Genma, and Soun are scouring the city in their search for Ranma. Kuno, Moose, and Ryouga were at a local bar celebrating Ranma's disappearance. Nabiki was using her contacts in a failed effort to locate Ranma. Only the Digger family and Nodoka knew Ranma's location.  
  
The next evening in Jade....  
  
Ranma stood in a kung fu stance waiting his newest opponent. This was his fourth opponent since formal training had ended an hour before hand. Master Leep had put Ranma with the senior class that day. So far he had defeated the best fighters of the three of the four classes of Master Leep's students. His fourth opponent was Tina. She held her bo staff cradled in against her side in a traditional Southern spear stance (Southern China).  
"So you ready to fight or is the staff a fashion accessory", Ranma taunted.  
Tina charged forward and delivered a rapid series of jabs with the staff. Ranma dived under the attack and came to his feet on Tina's right side. Tina realizing Ranam was in too close to use the Bo staff jumped to her right pivoting in mid-air. She again jabbed at Ranma,who caught the end of her staff and pulled himself towards her. Tina released the staff and  
rolled to her right to avoid the attack. Ranma landed roughly and was unable to take advantage of Tina's situation. Tina took the initiative and charged Ranma. Ranma dropped the staff and took a stance to meet her charge. She noticed a slight moVent of Ranma's left leg too late. Ranma had lifted the staff with his foot and kicked it into her path. Ranma caught  
Tina's extended right arm with his left and threw her over his hip. He followed Tina to the ground and stopped his hand an inch before, he would have collapsed her windpipe.  
  
"Yield", Ranma said?  
  
"Yield", Tina replied. She was then helped to her feet by Ranma. "I'm suprised you haven't used a staff in your fights, Ranma", she said.  
"I don't like to use weapons", Ranma replied. "It's too easy to become too dependent on your weapon. A weapon can be destroyed, taken from you, or used against you", Ranma replied.   
"I'm suprised, you'd say that. You have Swordmaster Julia as a sensei", Tina replied. "I thought you'd be more comfortable with weapons."  
"She's not my only sensei, my father instructed me for ten years in our family school. And I've can use weapons... but I'm more comfortable not using them," he replied.  
  
"Ranma will you be joining us in the bathhouse tonight," Tina asked.  
  
"Well, I don't know..," Ranma began.  
  
"Common it make you feel like a new woman," Tina said.  
  
Thirty minutes later....  
"How the hell do I get talked into these things," Ranma thought to himself. He was now naked in the bathhouse and neverous as hell. "I just know, I'll get splashed by hot water... Damn, I wish, I could have thought up a believable excuse. The school's bathhouse consisted of three copper tubs. A mountain stream fed the first two tubs and the last was a tub heated by a bed of coals under the tub. Ranma was scrubbing in the  
first tub (which happened to the the farest from the heated tub) and did his best to ignore the thirty something naked females in the room. He quickly resumed a mantra, he'd come up with for situations like these. "Colonge naked on a cold day, Colonge naked on a cold day, Colonge naked on a cold day...", Ranma chanted to himself.  
  
"Ranma, you want me to wash your back for you," a voice said.   
  
Ranma caught up in his mantra turned to the speaker. Ranma quickly turned away and continued scrubbing. "Sure, Ayka," Ranma replied without thinking. Ranma's brain screamed in frustration at the trouble his mouth was getting them into.   
"So, Ranma, how are you enjoying the school so far", Ayka asked as she scrubbed Ranma's back.  
"All right I quess", Ranma replied. "I shouldn't talk to much or I'll get myself  
into trouble", Ranma thought to himself. The two spent several minutes talking and Ranma started to relax some.   
  
"All done Ranma", Ayka replied. "Hold still."  
  
Ranma was suprised as Ayka dumped a bucket of hot water over him to rinse the soap off him. Several seconds later Ayka screamed and the bathhouse went quiet.  
Ranma quickly grabbed a bathing bucket to cover his male anatomy. Then almost on reflex he stood up and bowed. "I'm, Ranma Saotome, sorry about this.  
  
Elsewhere...  
  
Several hundred leagues away in a dark room a figure huddled over a   
crystal ball. "Well, it looks like I found the tal'vern", he said to his familiar. The chaos mage Micreon regarded the figure in the crystal ball. "It be a shame if they kill him, he promises to be very entertaining. Let's see... Ah, yes.. this glamour spell should work nicely.  
  
Back at Master Leep's training grounds....   
  
Ranma stood in the center of the bathhouse neverously Author's note: Ranma's base charisma with a glamour spell equals trouble the expected attack hadn't materialized. Ranma's thought process was as follows: "Naked in a bathhouse with females. Most likely result is severe head and groin pain inficted apon myself."   
  
"Hello, nurse", one student yelled!  
  
"Oooh.. He's cute..", another student replied.  
  
The hairs on the back of Ranma's neck and arms were standing up. Ranma became increasingly neverous as he noticed many students blushing and/or smiling. He started inching for the door.  
  
"Mine", Tina yelled as she charged Ranma. This was the unoffical signal and all the girls in the bathhouse charged Ranma.  
  
Ranma quickly ran followed closely by Master Leep's students. Unforunately for Ranma, Master Leep's students didn't leave his training grounds during the length of their training. And so the mindset of Master Leep's students was basically "a cute guy, naked, and I haven't seen a male except Master Leep for years (except Freshman class in that case   
a year). Mine!!" Needless to say Ranma would have attracted attention even without the glamour spell. He was soon pursued by all Master Leep's students (well except for four students, who only dated women).   
  
An hour later Ranma lost his pursurers and reentered the bathhouse. He quickly jumped into a cold tub and dressed quickly. "Damn everyone probably knows my curse now, I guess I should see Master Leep", he thought to himself. He opened the door to the bathhouse and had a bucket of warm water poured on him. "Uh.. I can explain..", be began.  
  
Forty minutes later....  
  
"And interesting curse that you have Ranma", Master Leep said. "Needless to say, I don't think my students mind."  
A hickey covered Ranma sat glumly across the table from Master Leep. Fortuately (or unforunately) for Ranma the glamour spell had ended after Master Leep's student hadfinished taking turns kissing him and before they got other ideas.   
"Normally I wouldn't care about you curse except for two things. One, you're a distraction to my students. Two, I still upset about goosing a guy. I bet this was Julia's idead of a joke. Anyway, you'll leave tomorrom morning. Put since you're Julia's student,I'll send a letter of recommendation to Master Valir in Settlestone. She's a compentent  
sensei and a veteran warmage and will be happy to teach you. I will also send word to Julia about your new location", Master Leep said.  
  
The next morning...  
  
All Master Leep's students except for four saw Ranma off. Ranma recieved many sealed letters and several kisses from the students. Tina was very enthusistic with her kiss and whispered, "I hope to meet you again", into his ear. The last to see him off was Ayka. She hugged Ranma and said, "I meet a nice girl and it turns out to by a guy." She then walked back into the crowd leaving a stunned Ranma with his mouth open.   
  
  
Several hours later...  
  
Ranma jogged down the road. "Let's see Master Leep said follow   
trail to the bottom of the mountain. Then take the trail left and in thirty  
something leagues down the road is the hamlet of Twisted Oak. Then follow the road leading North twenty leagues and I'll arrive at Master Valir's dojo in Settlestone.  
Ranma was twenty something leagues down when he found a came across  
a bend in the road. Around the bend he came across a two horse coach and  
four men and one woman. Ranma then noticed two unmoving bodies next to the coach in pools of blood.   
With a yell three of the men with swords drawn charged Ranma. Ranma slowly gave ground as the three men attacked him. He also notice the fourth  
man stood holding the woman tightly. "Clearly a hostage situation," Ranma  
thought to himself. "I need to get rid of these three morrons before, I attempt to rescue the hostage," he thought. With that Ranma ran into   
the woods and quickly lost his pursurers. Ranma then backtracked silently  
to the road. He waited for the three men to pass and charged. The two   
last swordmen went down before they realized they were under attack. The   
remaining swordman managed one desperated slash before Ranma dropped him.  
He then silently returned to the road.   
The last bandit held the woman with one hand and a sword with another. He then crouched behind a tree. "Hmm.. If I show myself, he'll just threaten her." Ranma heard someone speak and a short scream and he   
charged from behind the tree without thinking. The woman on the ground   
covering a cheek with one hand and the bandit was drawing back his hand  
from a punch. "Wrong move dirtbag," Ranma yelled as he threw a chi-blast.  
The chiblast struck the bandit in the side flinging him into the brush on  
the other side of the road. He then dropped to one knee next to the woman.  
"Are you alright, miss," Ranma asked. Two brown eyes peered from behind  
the hand. With a short gasp the woman sat up and looked at Ranma. Ranma started getting really neverous at the look see was giving him.  
"Praise be...," the woman cried. "The oracle proclaimed I'd meet  
my husband today."  
"Why the hell does this always happen to me," Ranma thought to himself. "Did I  
offend some kami in a past life or something," he thought to himself (In Japan Urd sneezed).  
Ranma decieded to talk to his new fiancee, "I'm Ranma Saotome.. and you are?"  
  
"Caroline, husband," she replied. She failed to notice the twitch in Ranma's eye.  
  
Several minutes later Ranma replied...  
  
"Well Caroline, I'm going to go get the bandits and I'll be back shortly." With  
that he walked into the woods to emerge several minutes later with two bandits slung over  
his shoulders and dumped them on the ground. He then retrieved the last two and dumped them  
next to the carriage. He then located a dug through the carriage and located a length of rope  
and tied the bandits to the roof of the carriage. He them placed the bodies of the two  
teamsters into the carriage. He then helped Caroline up to the driver seat and noticed   
Caroline was staring at him. "What...?!"  
  
"What type of marriage ceremony do I want," Caroline said interrupting Ranma.  
  
"No.. I meant.." Ranma said in a panick.  
  
"What type of dowry I have," she said interrupting Ranma again.  
  
"I don't want to marry you," Ranma yelled.  
  
She stared at Ranma with her brown eyes for a momment and hugged him. "Your right,  
were too youg to get married right now," she replied.  
  
The next day........  
  
To say Ranma was unhappy was putting things mildly, he managed to   
leave Twisted Oak at four in the morning and escaped from Caroline. "I  
swear she's almost as bad as Shampoo." He'd also spent alot of his money  
from selling the bandits weapon, that night at the inn for two rooms and  
some supplies. What really honked Ranma off was the rain. It would have  
been a mild annoyance for someone without his curse, but Ranma's underwear  
had given him almost a perament wedgie all day. "I swear, this really honks  
me off. I've got a wedgie where no man has ever had a wedgie. Ranma had spent alot of time removing the wedgie all day only to have it occur again  
within minutes. "I'd almost swear someone cursed me to have a wedgie," he  
muttered to himself.  
  
Meanwhile in a lower plane of hell...  
A tall bat winged creature known as the "Reaper of Souls and the  
Dasher of Hopes" (also known as Timmy) sneezed. This in itself wouldn't   
have been a bad thing normally but... The sneeze had caused him to miss  
his newest soul to torture and to hit his supervior. Needless to say   
Timmy spent several thousand years learning from his mistakes.  
  
Back in Jade...  
  
Ranma had finally arrived in Settlestone and he had yet to realize his day  
would get worse. He then headed to the town's inn for dinner and directions. He had  
just ordered a bowl or stew, when...  
  
"Greeting fair maiden," I tall figure in armor said. "I overheard, your   
conversation with the tavern owner and I was wondering if you could use an escort   
fair lady. One as pretty as yourself, shouldn't travel on the road alone."  
  
"I don't need help so please leave me alone," Ranma replied as he tried to eat   
dinner.  
  
"But my lady surely you jest," he said. "For I'm the favored of the God Crom, Sir  
Cono of Vandonburg." He then noticed the 'fair maiden' ignoring him and he had a flash of  
insight. "My lady is shy, but not to worry I'll guard thee to your destination."  
  
Ranma began to tremble as Cono began sawing on his frayed nerves. Unforunately for  
Sir Cono, he took this as a sign the 'lady' was cold. And he took the opportunity to  
drape his cloak over his fair maiden.  
Ranma caught his hand and twisted it painfully. "I'll say this once more, leave  
me the hell alone," Ranma said! He then released Sir Cono's hand.  
  
"But my lady...", he began as he grasped Ranma's hand.   
  
"That's it," Ranma yelled!!!  
  
It later took the village blacksmith three hours to remove the metal wedgie   
Ranma had given Sir Cono.   
  
An hour later...  
  
Ranma had followed the Innkeeper's directions and found Master Valir dojo. He had  
used a cup of hot water from the inn to change back to his male form to meet Valir. The dojo  
itself would have been a normal Japanese dojo except for being supported in the limbs of  
a mighty oak tree. He had been escorted by one of Master Valir's students to a platform to wait for the Master. He looked over the edge of the platform at the ground thirty feet below and smiled to himself. "This training ground promises to be entertaining," he thought to himself.  
Then a door from the dojo opened and a tall woman with a bearing of grace approached Ranma. "You told my student, that you carry a message from Master Leep," she said.  
"If you are Master Valir, then I do," Ranma said. "I learned the hard way not to assume things from Nabiki," he thought to himself.  
"It's good to see you have some caution", she replied. "Yes, I am Master Valir," she replied.  
  
Ranma promptly extracted the letter from his backpack and gave it to Valir.  
  
She read the letter for several minutes and laughed. "Well maybe that old goat, won't be in such a damn hurry to fondle women after finding out about your curse," she said with a smile. "But, I'd be happy to train you for awhile, Julia is an old friend of mine. I have three rules here: 1. I'm right and you'll follow my orders. 2. Don't harass other students. 3. Don't do anything stupid."  
Ranma raised his eyebrows at the third comment. "Sensei, about the third rule. I can promise not to intentionally do anything stupid. But, as someone once put it 'the worse possible thing will happen at the worst possible time'.  
"That'll do Ranma," Valir replied. "Now let's see about getting you a bunk. We have training tomorrow.  
  
The next day...  
  
Ranma was standing across the mat from his sensei. They were going to spar "Ranma let's start with the basics   
and work our way up. Understood," Valir asked?  
  
"Yes, sensei," Ranma replied.  
  
They bowed and began sparing. Master Valir's students as the two sparred for twenty  
minutes. "Ranma have you ever fought a 'War Mage' before," she asked.  
  
"No sensei," he replied.  
  
"Do your best and use any techniques you wish," she said.  
  
"Right," he replied.  
  
Master Valir muttered something before charging Ranma.  
  
Ranma suddenly felt weak right before Valir closed on him. He barely was able to dodge as Valir launched a series of punches. Ranma turned back to Valir and felt his strength return. He then launched a chi-blast, that bounced of a invisible barrier in front of the sensei. He used the distraction of the chi-blast to close with Valir. He was facing Valir, when a magic missel slammed into his back.   
  
"Beware Illusions, when you fight mages, Ranma."  
  
Closing his eyes he found the figure in front of him wasn't radiating an aura. But there was an aura two yards to his rear. Ranma bounced off one wall and the ceiling before launching himself at the aura. Master Valir realized Ranma had found her but, was unable to move in time.  
Valir regained her feet and smiled at Ranma. "I didn't expect you to see through  
that so easily, but it's not over. With that her figure blurred as she charged him. Ranma  
was able to block most of the attacks she launched with a chestnut fist to counter attack.  
Ranma leapt back as felt a wave of vertigo before landing. Ranma landed hard but, was in  
a stance quickly. "Your good Ranma, but it time for me to end this," she said.  
Ranma felt a pressure in his skull before and was barely able to shake it off. He  
was caught unaware as a magic missile slammed into him knocking him out.  
  
Fifteen minutes later...  
  
Ranma and his new sensei sat in the dojo drinking tea. "You did well for your first  
fight with a mage, Ranma. Let me explain the strengths and weaknesses of a mage to you."  
Ranma quickly became more interested in his sensei's words. "A mage," she began "can draw  
from internal or external sources of power. A mage's strength is their magical ability.  
This is also their weakness. A mage can only handle so much power at one time and this  
of course limits the magic a mage can work. Also it takes concentration to create and   
maintain spells (I did say most, there are always exceptions). I will talk more of this  
shortly. You also must remember a mage will eventually wear down their magical ability."  
  
"What do you mean, sensei," Ranma asked?  
  
"It's similiar to a fighter. If you fight hard, you tire yourself out. This dosen't  
mean, that you can't catch your breath. So a mage has a reserve of magic they can draw from.  
Once this is used they can regain their magical strength at a much slower rate. This means  
a high level mage after casting a large spell will be able to cast other spells after, he  
has time to recover some."  
  
"I think, I got it," Ranma said.  
  
"In our fight today I cast a weakness spell right before, I attack you initially.  
You recovered quickly and counter attacked. I blocked your attack with a shield spell.   
When you thought me blinded by your chi-blast, I cast an illusion. I then caught you   
unawares with a magic missile. I then cast a higher level spell called haste. I was  
amazed you were able to block most of my attacks. If your feet moved as fast as your  
hands, I wouldn't have hit you. I then cast a vertigo spell, while you were in mid-air.  
Most fighters would have fallen from the spell. I then caste a psionic blast, which   
scramble your mind for a second. I then caught you unawares with the magic missile. When  
fighting a mage either A. attack often to interrupt spell casting or B. disable them  
quickly. A rule of thumb is more powerful spells take longer to caste. This isn't always  
true since some mage enchant spells in items, this reduces the casting time to basically  
nothing. A War Mage such as myself can cast only low level spells, but we are better   
fighters than High Mages. A High Mage can cast higher level spells, but they are  
easy target in a fight without assistance from fighters."  
  
Ranma's stomach growled, interrupting the discussion.  
  
"We'll continue this later Ranma. But now it's time to eat," Valir said with a   
smile.  
  
One month later...  
  
"Well Ranma, I think we can agree, I'm not going to make a mage out of you. But I  
think your time here was worth the effort. The three techniques you've learned here should  
serve you well. And the experience in fighting with mages should be useful, If you plan on  
staying in Jade for any length of time. I'm suprised you've learned everything, I can teach  
a non-mage so quickly.   
"I've always been a fast learner, sensei." Ranma then asked, "are you kicking me  
out sensei."  
"Not exactly Ranma. I recieved a reply from Julia and she was sorry to say you  
couldn't have trained under Master Leep more. But she said she was proud of the progress  
you were making under my instruction. She says, she plans to return to Earth in a month.  
She want you to meet her in the city of Thunder Hills. You could probably make the trip  
in two weeks from here but, She thought it would be good training for you to travel some   
in Jade alone.   
  
The next morning Ranma left Master Valir and her students and hiked North towards his   
meeting with Julia. The previous night Master Valir had thrown a party and Ranma said goodbye  
to friends and rivals. Ranma had said, he'd try to return in a year but, that he couldn't   
promise anything. At the end of the party Master Valir had given Ranma a scroll sealed in  
red wax.   
  
Flashback:   
"Ranma," she said. "I wish to give a gift to one of the better students,  
I've ever had mage or fighter. I had a friend create this for you. This scroll contains two   
spells. The first is activated by opening the scroll, it forces the person to read the   
scroll. The second activates what is called a 'Rhino Spell', it channels all of a person's  
magical ability into the spell. The spell will increase a person's strength, dexterity, and  
stamina. For yourself it will not help much, but sometime a little extra is all you need.  
The spell should last almost three minutes for you.   
End Flashback.  
  
*****  
Ch.3: Questing Dragon  
  
Two days later in Jade...  
"You are the one spoken of in the prophecy. You must marry my daughter," the   
village elder said. "Actually, I just want to get rid of that girl, but I'm not telling   
him that," the woman thought to herself.  
"Pardon me," Ranma said. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  
hhhhhhhhhhhh," he screamed as he ran from the town of Bruswick.  
  
Smack  
  
Ranma regained consciousness several seconds later.  
  
"Welcome back to the land of the living," a man said.  
  
"I'm Greg and my companion is Shuryken. You okay?!"  
  
"Yeah, I just ran into a tree," Ranma said.  
  
"Confusus says, 'man who runs into trees should watch where he's running'," Shuryken said in a wise voice.  
Ranma took a minute to stare at Skuryken, "Whatever, Ninja boy. I just had to get away from that damn old woman."  
  
"Let me guess," it was a village elder named, Sahara," Greg said.  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know?"  
  
"Easy, she's been trying to marry her daughter off for years using that story," Greg said.  
  
"Have you heard anything about a red dragon in the local area," Greg asked?  
  
"A red dragon known as the 'Questing Dragon' recently raided a Ishap Monastery and was seen flying North. It slew several hundred priests and servants before looting the Monastery. Were now on a quest on recover several artifacts the dragon looted from the Monastery. The temple of Ishap is famous for curing the sick, it's destruction is the cause of great sorrow."  
  
"So why is it known as the 'Questing Dragon'," Ranma asked.  
  
"There has been a red dragon, that for a number of years has been attacking, looting, and destroying across Jade. Many a pround ruler has died in his throne room by the dragon's claw'" Greg said.   
  
Ranma's mind was a blur as he thought to himself. "Could it be a lead on a cure?! I'd be helping others and myself. 'It's the duty of a martial artist to help those, who cannot defend themselves'." Ranma looked at the two men and said, "You just got yourself another member to your party."  
  
A week later....  
  
The trio arrived at the smoking remains of a small border keep. They crossed a fire-blackened drawbridge and entered the courtyard. The courtyard was littered with randomly scattered piles of blackened armor, twisted weapons, and grey ash. "This was done by the dragon," Greg said.  
  
"How can you tell," Ranma asked.  
  
"The defenders were killed by a dragon or a mage. Very few things can kill like that leaving only ash and metal. Also there is that," Greg said pointing at a wall section.  
  
Ranma looked at the wall and saw the imprint of a large taloned hand in the wall.  
  
"That's the signature of the red dragon," Greg said. "Cheeky bastard!"  
  
"Out of curiosity, how are you tracking something that flies," Ranma asked.  
  
"With this," Greg said as he pulled out an amulet. "It contains a scale found at a sacked castle."  
"I'm not claiming to be a mage but.... Couldn't they hex the dragon using the scale they found," Ranma asked.  
"Alot of creature yes. But, dragons have such a resistance to magic a mage would have been lucky to give him athlete's foot," Greg replied.  
"Confusius say, 'magic roll off dragon like water off a duck's back'."  
The other two members of the party stared at Shuryken. "Damn, I don't know what's worse Kuno's speeches or Shuryken's quotes." Ranma said dryly.  
"Confusius say, 'Man should not let mouth write tab, his butt cannot cover,'" Shuryken  
quoted.  
  
Two days later....  
  
The trio booked passage of a vessel crossing the Bitter Sea to hopefully catch up to the dragon. The small caravel ran into a severe storm a day from port.  
  
"Why'd, we book passage on this ship again."  
  
"Cause it's our only hope of catching up to the dragon," Greg  
replied.  
"Hey, Captain," Ranma yelled, "do you think we'll make it."  
  
  
"This is all for the glory of Om. Trust is our sail and glory is our destination," the captain said.  
  
"The ocean floor is out destination," replied Ranma.  
  
"I didn't say there wouldn't be stops along the way," the captain said.  
  
"I hate my life sometimes," Ranma muttered to himself.  
  
A week later...  
  
The trio crested a ridge and found a burning keep. "Let's hurry the bastard might still be here," Greg yelled as he raced down the road. "You'll need these, Ranma." He said as he tossed two daggers to Ranma.  
  
The trio entered the keep and raced among burning corpses. They followed the sounds of fighting to the great hall of the castle. The trio entered the hall and found a fifty-yard long red traditional European Dragon walking leisurely downs the hall towards the far end.  
The dragon crushed the last knight between it and an elderly king sitting on a throne. Shuryken and Greg dodged into the columns on the right side of the hall. Ranma sprinted down the hall towards the dragon. The dragon turned in a leisurely fashion towards the sounds of running feet.  
The dragon threw the body of a slain knight at the two figures parting behind the columns and turned to the figure racing down the center of the hall. The dragon opened its jaws and a cone of fire enveloped the hallway. Four shurken thrown by Shuryken connected to the dragon's head. Three bound harmlessly off scales, but one managed to sink into a eye.  
Greg charged the dragon aiming for the scales under the dragon's neck. The dragon caught Greg's charge with it's good eye and slapped the fighter into a column. A fine mist of blood escaped his mouth as his body slammed into the column.  
Ranma watched this from the rafter he was standing on above the dragon. He jumped down on the dragon's back and raced up it's spine. He grabbed the base of a wing as the dragon attempted to shake him off it's back. He then slipped one dagger under the scales on the dragon's back and twisted. The bellow from the dragon deafened the humans in the hall as  
it arced it's back. Ranma held on quickly to prevent from being dislodged. He started twisting  
the dagger slowly deeper into the dragon's back. The dragon slammed itself into a wall in an attempt to free Ranma from his grip. The wall began collapsing and Ranma jumped from the dragon's back to avoid being crushed. The room was filled with a cloud of dust. And the stones covering the dragon were shed like water as it arose from his stone shroud.  
Shuryken ran up to Ranma and grabbed his hand. He yelled, Confusius say, "Man should know when to hold them, when to fold them, and when to run."  
With that the two sprinted from the room with Ranma grabbing the stunned king and Shuryken grabbing Greg. The two of them barely avoided a cone of fire as they escaped the room. They great hall weakened by several small fires and a collapsed wall, slowly fell in apon itself. The dragon disappeared under a mountain of stone and mortar.  
Ranma and Shuryken quickly caught their breath outside. "How's Greg," Ranma asked?  
  
"Dead," Shuryken replied.  
  
Ranma put down the king and said, "you better get going while you can. That dragon will dig itself out shortly and be after us."  
The frightened monarch looked at him for a moment before running into the remains of a partially intact tower.  
  
The two fighters began running down the hill.   
  
"Got any advice, Shuryken," Ranma asked? Behind them the sound of something moving in the ruins of the great hall reached them.  
  
"Confusius say, 'Man without friends shouldn't start a bar fight'. It means, we need some help." Ranma nodded and began racing for the   
front gate of the castle. The dragon shook the last stones covering it  
off and began running along the ground. Ranma looked over his shoulder  
and was stunned as the dragon quickly closed on them.  
  
"Were not gonna make it to the gate," Ranma said.  
  
"Keep it busy," Shrunken yelled as he veered for a gatehouse to  
one side of the gate.  
"What..," Ranma yelled before he had to dive to one side to avoid the dragon's flaming breathe. He bounced to his feet and said, "fine  
let's dance ugly."  
The dragon decided to have fun with the puny human and swiped at it  
with a taloned paw the size of a horse cart.  
Ranma dodged the paw and barely avoided a cone of fire from the dragon's mouth. Ranma lands on the draw bridge crossing the moat. Ranma  
jumped seconds before one of the dragon's feet turned the spot he was standing on to splinters. The dragon raised a paw upright and a translucent  
red rune glowed briefly in the air. Ranma was swept with a wave of vertigo  
A massive red paw snatched him from the ground.  
  
"Our game ends now, insect," a voice said in Ranma's head.  
  
The dragon was beginning to squeeze Ranma when the clank of a  
chain could be heard. Ranma and the dragon both looked up as a massive  
portcullis began to descend rapidly. The portcullis's iron capped teeth  
slammed into the dragon's back and bit into it's flesh. The dragon dropped  
Ranma as a spasm of pain shuttered through it's body. Ranma rolled away  
from the dragon and felt a broken rib grating in his side.  
"You and your friend will suffer for this," the dragon said. The  
dragon raise a palm and a rune of fire flashed into existence. The dragon's  
form glowed for several seconds before disappearing.  
  
Shuryken arrive a minute later. "Confusius say, 'It looks like you  
got your ass handed to you'."  
  
"Shut up and help me bandage my ribs," Ranma replied.  
  
Several days later Ranma arrived in the town of Keysville.  
  
  



	3. New Neighbors 3

New Neighbors  
By Madcat  
  
Author's Notes: I don't have any right to use Gold Digger,   
Ranma 1/2 characters or Jade in my stories. But I swear, I'm not   
making any money off this. So please don't sue.  
  
If you don't know the Gold Digger series (GD) check the net. There are some nifty sites on the series with summaries of the issues.  
  
  
I'm droping this fanfic so I can work on other projects.   
I can't bring myself to work on this anymore, so its free  
if anyone wishes to take up the story do so.  
  
  
************  
JADE: CH. 4  
  
Ranma quickly found the only tavern in Keysville and entered the main room. He ignored the curious glances of several patrons and made his way to the bar.  
  
"What can I do for ye," the dwarven barkeep asked?  
  
"How much for dinner and for a room for the night," Ranma asked as he stretched a cramp in his leg.  
  
"Four silver pieces," the barkeep replied.  
  
"A little steep, but I agree. How about one gold for the room and all the food I can eat?" With that Ranma drew a gold coin and flicked it to the barkeep. "Well at least I'm putting the bandit's money to good use," Ranma said to himself.  
  
The barkeep weighed the coin with an experienced eye and said, "agreed." With that Ranma left the bar and found an empty table near the hearth. The barkeep looked at the coin and back at Ranma. "With his dress and the way he throws around money, he's got to be some minor noble," the dwarf said to himself.  
  
The barkeep stopped the serving girl and pulled her to one side. "The young lord dressed in red near the hearth is likely some minor noble. Make sure he gets good service."  
  
Unnoticed by Ranma or the barkeep a merchant quietly left the tavern and ran into the night.  
  
Several minutes later, elsewhere in town...  
  
The merchant from the tavern entered an old barn on the edge of town. He cautiously entered the dark interior of the rotting structure.  
  
"Report," a harsh voice said from the darkness of the barn.  
  
The merchant hastily dropped to one knee. "He's arrived milord. A young noble entered the tavern and he's dressed in colors of house...."  
The merchant's report was ended as a barbed whip erupted from the shadow and ripped out his throat.  
"Tonight," a voice from the darkness said and several shadows moved in the darkness of the barn.  
  
Back at the tavern....  
  
"Any news from the North, Trish," Ranma asked the eleven serving girl.  
  
"Just the rumblings of a war," the girl said as she smiled at Ranma.  
  
"Umm... What's this about a war," Ranma asked?  
  
"I'm sure someone like you would know more about such things than myself," she said as she winked at Ranma.  
  
"I haven't heard any news for awhile, so please tell me," Ranma replied.  
  
"Well it seems House Hansburg and the Barbarian clans may be going to war soon. It's some old territorial disputes combined with some skirmishes on the borders. The interesting things are House Morrow allying with the Barbarians and the Rahaska tribes allying with the Brandonburgs. The Northlands would probably be ablaze with war by now, except for Warmaster's attempts to get those stubborn men to talk to one another. Rumor has it, that she's had to crack some other Warmaster skulls to get them to listen to her. But I got other customers to attend to," Trish said. "Talk to me later if you need me to warm your bed tonight," she whispered to him before walking off.  
  
Ranma had to catch his jaw to prevent it from hitting the table as he watched her retreating form.  
  
  
Back in Nerima at the Saotome home.......  
  
"Good day miss I am the black knight representing the forces of darkness &  
evil. My records indicated this is the house of the Dragon reborn, may I..."  
  
slam  
  
"Sigh, some people have no sense of the dramatic."  
  
Bam! Bam!  
  
"I'm not leaving until I do battle with the Dragon or his champion," the dark knight  
said as Nodoka opened the door for the second time.  
  
"In about three minutes you'll be doing battle with the cops if you don't beat it," Nodoka  
replied.  
  
slam  
  
"Maybe she is his champion," the figure in black armor sighed.  
  
  
  
Back in Jade.......  
  
Ranma was sound asleep in his room at the Tavern, when he heard the  
creak of a floor board in the hallway. Ranma silently rolled out of bed  
and watched the door. A soft creak from the roof also fluttered down to  
Ranma. "If it was just the hall, I'd write it off. But with the roof, it  
means trouble. The door burst open with a deafing boom revealing the hallway beyond. Ranma watched as a figure recovered from his kick and dodged out of the doorway. Ranma was rolling as a crossbow bolt from  
a black clad figure charged through the open doorway. Ranma bounced to his feet and  
fired a chi-blast catching the attacker by suprise. A second assassin in the hallway was suprised, when  
his companion came flying out of the room and impacted into him. The second attacker absorbed  
most of the damage as the two figures hit the wall on the far side of the hallway.  
On the roof above a third assassin had tied a rope to a chimney at  
the end of the Tavern. He leaped from the roof holding the rope. The rope quickly became taunt and the rope pulled the assassin into an arc ending in the window to Ranma's room.   
Inside Ranma heard a crash and a thud. He then smiled to himself.  
The dresser, he put in front of his window, shook violently as something impacted into it. "They didn't expect that did they," he thought to himself.  
Ranma quickly check the two figures and found both unconscious.  
"What the hell is going on here," the tavern owner said. The   
enraged dwarf stood in the doorway in a tattered nightshirt armed with a battleaxe.   
  
"These men attacked me," Ranma replied.  
  
"I don't care about that," the dwarf said jumping up and down in rage. "You didn't save one for me. Do you know, how long it's been since I had a decent fight," he roared.  
  
  
  
  
The next afternoon....  
  
Ranma was strolling down a road as he traveled ever northward. The business at the Tavern had taken several hours to clear up. Ranma   
had finally been able to leave after the watch cleared him of any wrong  
doing. All three assassins were now dead. The two men from hallway had poisoned themselves somehow after capture. The third had  
broken his neck hitting the cobblestones below Ranma's window. "At least things are looking up now," Ranma said.  
A pair of hands clapping broke Ranma from his thoughts. A tall  
humanoid figure dressed in a dark green clapped from his position near  
by a large oak tree. "I must say you handled my masters fighters nicely, Mage."  
Ranma lowered his pack to the ground and took up a loose stance.   
"You mean the morons from last night. Right...."  
  
"Yes, but let's not waste time by going over details," the figure said. The figure jumped down and produced a scroll. The figure smiled an opened the scroll. A rune of black energy flared for a moment before disappearing.   
Ranma dived to one side and was suprised when no bolts of energy flew at him.  
"No, you fool. I cast an anti-magic field on you. Now you won't be able to use magic or any artifacts you're carrying."  
  
Ranma blinked and muttered, "what's your point."  
  
"The point is, I'm planning on ripping you apart bare handed."  
With that the figure form wavered and grew before Ranma. Even Ranma  
was able to recognize the large hairy form as a minotaur. The creature  
rushed Ranma. Ranma was suprised by his opponent's speed as was quickly pinned to a tree. "Any last words, human."  
Ranma rotated the palms of his hands in the minataur's grip till  
they faced his opponent. "Yeah, I'm not a mage."  
The minataur was still processing the information, when twin chi blasts exploded into its' chest. The hairy gaint was sent sailing into   
a nearby tree reducing it to a broken stump. One fragment of the stump  
protruded through the remains of the minataur's heart. Ranma slowly picked himself off the ground. The chi blast going off that close to him had destroyed  
his shirt and charred his eyebrows. He stumbled over to his opponent and found no pulse from the minataur. Ranma sighed and bowed to the broken body of the minataur. He clapped his hand together and said a short prayer before turning away from the body.   
Several minutes later Ranma had replaced his shirt from one in his pack and continued his walk down the road. After Ranma left the minataur's body slowly pulled itself off the tree stump.  
  
  
  
That evening........  
  
Ranma trudged into yet another town. This town was actually the  
free city of Aiken.   
  
"Killer," a voice shrieked behind Ranma. Ranma turned and found himself facing a short merchant dressed in bright clothing.  
  
"Do you have something to add, merchant Tulan," the city watch captain asked?  
  
"I saw this scoundrel, kill Squire Heward" he yelled pointing at Ranma.   
  
Ranma was immediately grabbed by two of the guardsmen. The other two guards loosened the bindings on their swords.  
  
"Do you have any proof of this, merchant," the captain asked?  
  
"Yes!" With that the merchant pulled a small boy from behind him and presented him to the captain. He also witnessed the attack.  
  
"Is he the killer, boy," the captain asked? The small boy looked up at the captain with large eyes and slowly nodded. "Right. We'll be taking him to the castle prision." The captain turned to the merchant and said, "I'll need a signed testimony from you, so come along."  
  
"Shit! I'm screwed this time," Ranma thought to himself. Ranma was already moving before the guards could chain him. He broke out of the grip of his two captors and jumped. The gathered crowd gasped as he landed on a second story balcony on a nearby building. Ranma ran into the building, disturbing a family preparing for dinner. The family watched in   
astonishment as he ran into their house and dived through the kitchen window. Ranma landed with a roll in a road and came up running. He never noticed the astonished family staring at him through the broken window. Ranma ducked into an alley two blocks later and caught his breath.  
  
"Well this is your lucky day," a voice said. "I only want your money."  
  
Ranma turned and found a man approaching with a dagger. Ranma smiled before rushing the thief.  
  
Several minutes later...  
  
A female Ranma exited the alley in his new disguise. Rainwater in a barrel had provided the means for the change and the thief had been the source for new clothes. He packed his normal clothes in his pack and headed towards the city walls.  
  
"Now to find out what's going on here," Ranma said as he marched towards the keep. He ran into the city watch captain leading a small party through the town. Ranma gaze focused on Merchant Tulan, who was in the middle of the party.  
Ranma carefully trailed the group to the keep in sight. After several minutes the small party arrived at the castle overlooking the city. Ranma stared at the castle several seconds before deciding on a course of action. He watched the single visible guard on the section of wall. Ranma waited for the correct time and took a jump to the top of the castle wall. Ranma quickly scanned the adjacent walls and the courtyard below. He immediately noticed them merchant entering a long grey building along one castle wall with the watch captain and the boy.  
Ranma landed softly in the courtyard and casually made his way across the courtyard. Luckly for Ranma the courtyard was almost empty as the majority of the castle was in the great hall for the evening meal. As Ranma approached the building, he noticed two guards near the buildings door. "I need a way in," Ranma said to himself.  
Fortunately for Ranma two women exited the keep carrying baskets of laundry and disappeared into another building along the castle wall. Ranma smiled to himself as he followed the ladies.  
  
Several minutes later....  
  
He noticed the watch captain leaving the building and march to the keep. Giving him a minute Ranma approached the building that he had tentatively identified as the barracks. A smile, big eyes, and an excuse of delivering laundry for the captain got Ranma into the building and direction to the captain's room. Ranma laughed to himself as he thought about one of the perks of his cursed form. A quick journey through the almost empty barracks brought him to the captain's room on the second floor. Ranma knocked and waited several seconds. Ranma was waiting for a reply when, he noticed a thin stream of blood between in the grout between the two floor tiles. Ranma always a person of  
action dropped the laundry basket as he kicked the door. The door exploded inward revealing a scene of carnage. The shredded bodies of the captain and the small boy, who had accompanied the merchant, lay in the room.  
Ranma quickly grabbed his pack from its hiding place in the pile of laundry as he fled the room with a growing dread. He tore open the door to the barracks and stepped outside. One guard hadn't finished turning around before he found himself suspended in the air.   
"Listen closely," the red head began. "The captain's dead. And  
something is impersonating him," she said. The guard stopped struggling as Ranma's words sunk in. He barely caught himself, when Ranma released his grip. The other guard ran into the barracks. Ranma ignored the remaining  
guard as she raced to the keep.   
The two guards at the keep crossed their pikes at the approaching  
figure. "What business do you have here wench," a guard asked?  
  
"Where was the Captain headed," Ranma yelled?  
  
"I have no reason to...," the guard managed before Ranma slapped him.  
  
"Your captain is dead. We just found his body in the barracks," Ranma said. "Something impersonating him just walked past you morons."  
  
"You expect us to believe that, dribble," the other guard said.  
  
Ranma grabbed the closest guard and threw him into his suprised companion. Ranma then bolted through the door as the two guards attempted  
to disentangle themselves. Ranma entered the keep and found a room with two  
doors to his left and right and a winding staircase ahead of him. Ranma took the stairs two at a time and prayed to himself, he chosen the correct path.  
Ranma reached the second floor and suprised a page. "Have you  
seen the Captain," Ranma asked the boy. The boy pointed to his right and Ranma raced in that direction. Ranma noticed a guard dash into a room down  
the hallway as he followed the boy's directions. Cries of pain and breaking  
furniture drifted from the room as Ranma closed on it.  
  
Ranma skidded to a stop in front of the open door. He watched as a guard was disembowded by a slash to his lower chest. Ranma lept over the guard, who was still thrashing in a growing pool of blood. Ranma stared at  
his humanoid opponent. His opponent was about seven feet tall and vaguely human with enormous clawed hands. Ranma ran into the room jumping over the  
dying guard. The creature smiled cruelly and its form sifted. The form quickly became a minataur. "Remember me," it said before charging Ranma. Ranma had barely landed before he was forced to dive from a massive fist.  
The figure pointed an open palm at Ranma. Ranma dodged in time enough to catch a deep scratch in his shoulder from a volley of short spikes. Another guard entered the room with a sword draw and made a valiant charged at the creature only to have his chest shredded by a burst of spikes. Ranma took the opportunity to hit the creature broadside with a chi blast. The thing quickly healed the place in it's side as it turned to face Ranma and it's form shifted. Two spiked tentacles several meters long grew from it's back. Ranma dodged one tentacle only to be caught by another around his right foot. Ranma destroyed the tentacle with a chi blast in time to avoid a swipe by a clawed hand. Ranma ducked behind an overturned table to avoid a burst of spikes from   
his opponent. Ranma smiled as he picked up a oil lamp from the contents of the overturned table from besides a prone form in a robe.  
The dopplenganger saw Ranma throw something and easily blocked the object with a tentacle. It ignored the sound of breaking glass as it fired another volley of spikes at Ranma. Ranma dodged and hit the creature with another chi blast. The creature was distracted from another attack as it's  
right side was engulfed in flames. The creature caught Ranma with a backhand   
blow, that slammed Ranma into the far wall of the room.  
The creature was blind sided as a guard charged through the open door. The guard's halberd dug into the creature's chest driving it back  
towards the fireplace. The creature braced itself with its' arms and attempted to stand back up. The guard slowly pushed the halberd deeper   
into the thrashing flesh of the monster. The creature was almost pinned against the fireplace, when it managed to snap the shaft of the halberd. The creature lashed out with a taloned hand shredding the guard's arm. The  
creature staggered to its feet and charged towards a wall. A glowing tear  
of energy created itself in the wall before the speeding monster.   
Ranma dashed after the burning figure intent on stopping it before  
the portal. The creature staggered and fell when two crossbow bolts blossomed  
in it's chest. Ranma slid to a stop before the portal. Ranma turned quickly  
and caught sight of a man in silver armor drop a double shot crossbow and   
charge at the monster. The man drew a slim silver sword and leapt at the monster. The monster was attempting to stand, when the sword pierced it's skull and continued into the stone floor. Ranma was focused on the stranger,   
that he missed a flaying arm of the dying monster. The blow knocked Ranma  
off balance and into the portal.  
  
  
  
Author's Suggestion:  
Check out www.sluggy.com for a great online comic strip. The comic strip has many character with complex relationships formed since the beginning of the strip. But not to worry. The website has issues going back to the start of the series in 1998.   
  
Another good online comic strip. www.brunothebandit.com  
  
Also there's a good fic called 'Neko Can't' floating around the web, which is a Ranma/Gold Digger crossover.  



	4. New Neighbors 4

New Neighbors  
  
  
By Madcat08@hotmail.com  
Started 12-05-2001  
Updated 05-18-2002  
  
Disclaimer:  
GoldDigger is the properity of Fred Perry. Ranma is distrubited in the U.S. by Viz Video. I will make nothing off the creation of these two writers. So please dont sue. If you enjoy the character please support Fred Perry & Viz with your patronage.  
  
  
"Comments & Suggestions are appreciated!"  
  
  
Jade Part 5: Into the Fire  
  
Ranma rolled to his feet on the far side of the portal. Behind him the portal closed with a clap of displace air. He found himself in a great hall lined on both sides with columns. At the end of the hall sat a figure in a black robe on a pale white throne composed of bone.  
  
"Is the king dead," a inhuman voice echoed through the hall.  
  
"Umm... Yeah," Ranma replied.   
  
"Your not my servant," the figure on the throne hissed again. The rustle of metal on metal arose from the dark arches lining the throne room.  
  
A score of guards in plate mail stepped into the hallway. Red unblinking eyes shined out of their helms. A fight red tint outlined the swords in the guard's hands.   
  
"Oh crap," Ranma replied.   
  
  
Meanwhile back in Nerima...  
  
Ryouga was wandering through an intense fog. "Nothing shall keep us apart, Akane." He declared dramatically. At that point the fog lifted and Ryouga found himself in the female side of a bathhouse. Every woman in the room able to brandish a large heavy object quickly jumped Ryouga.  
  
  
Back in Jade...  
  
Ranma quickly used a move he hadn't used, since he fought with Herb. He attempted to draw chi from his opponents and was surprised when; he failed to get any. Quickly overcoming his surprise he launched two chi-blasts at two of his attackers. The two figures slammed into the stone walls with a crash of metal on stone. One figure lurched back to its feet.  
  
"This keeps getting better and better," Ranma muttered.  
  
He charged one figure and jumped over a wicked sword slash and connected a kick to its head. The helm left the body with a dry crunch   
  
  
Back in Nerima...  
  
Kuno was singing the song, 'You've lost that loving feeling'. While Akane threw heavy objects at her unwanted suitor before the cops arrived to arrest Kuno. Kuno would later be charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer, and destruction of public property. Later in the local jail the inmates teamed up to beat up Kuno after he wouldn't shut up.  
  
  
Back in Jade...  
  
Eight figures were remaining and Ranma was tiring too fast. He'd found to his surprise, that his opponents were animate corpses in their armor. He attempted to flee the great hall but the rebounded off an unseen barrier in an empty doorway. Ranma rolled to his feet and immediately had to duck under a sword slash and swept the feet from under his opponent. He quickly decapitated the downed figure with a crescent kick.  
  
  
Meanwhile at the Cat Cafe...  
  
Cologne sighed as she stared at the night's sky. Shampoo had been in an evil rant since Ranma had disappeared. No Ranma and increase attention from Moose had left the girl extremely angry. Shampoo only had Moose to vent her anger on and the fool was at Tofu's recovering from his last declaration of love. Cologne shook her head recalling Moose's strangest attempt. He had entered Shampoo's room in the middle of the night wearing only a pair of boots and covered in vaseline. Needless to say, Moose wouldn't be working for several days.   
  
  
Back in Jade...  
  
Ranma was growing tired quickly and so he decided to charge the guy on the throne. He quickly avoided the slower moving guards and ran down the great hall. The figure on the throne made a small hand gesture and a wall of fire cut Ranma off from the figure. Ranma stopped before the wall and fired a chi blast at the figure before dodging an attack from the six remaining guards. His smile faded as his chi-blast bounced off an unseen shield and rebounded into a nearby wall with explosive force. "Well that didn't help," Ranma muttered to himself.  
  
The seven guards encircled Ranma and advanced. Ranma jumped over the rapidly closing and fired a chi blast at the stone ceiling above him.  
  
Ranma landed outside of the circle of falling stones; that landed on the guards. The sounds of movement came from the swirling dust before a lone guard in battered plate mail stumbled forth. Ranma ignored an uncoordinated sword slash and decapitated the last guard with a punch. He turned his attention back to the figure on the throne.  
  
  
Back in Tokyo...  
  
Happosai was ecstatic as he watched a store below. Tomorrow was the grand opening of a 'Victoria's Secrets'. And Happosai was drooling in anticipation.  
  
Elsewhere Ukyo marked another day off her calendar and waited impatiently for Ranma's return from Jade.  
  
  
Meanwhile in Jade...  
  
Ranma watched as the wall of flame disappeared and the figure on the throne stood. "Well done, but you shall still die." The figure on the dais hissed. Ranma ignored the figure and charged him.  
  
Ranma was ten yards away from the figure, when it made a gesture with a hand. The ground around Ranma blazed with two parrell circles full of runes. Ranma's body was racked with pain as strands of energy coursed around his body. Ranma slowly slumped to the floor as his vision began turning black around the edges.  
  
"Die," the figure hissed before before throwing a ball of light at Ranma.  
  
A clap of thunder announced the arrival of another party in the great hall. The tall form of Theo Diggers stood in the hall with the air crackling with electricty around him. Theo caught the ball in one hand and crushed it. When he opened his hand only wisps of smoke remained of the ball.  
  
"Welcome Theo, prepare to die." The hooded figure hissed before he began chanting. The walls, floor, and ceiling of the great hall erupted in thousands of rune burning with power.  
  
And that was the last Ranma saw before he lost consciousness.  
  
Later back in Jade...  
  
He became aware slowly in the darkness; he quickly began trying to open his eyes. "Damn, it feels like Kodiachi has drugged me again and Akane force feed me." Ranma though as he fought a wave of nausea. Ranma slowly became aware of a pressure on his chest as he became alert. He forced his eyes open and stared into space as his eyes slowly began adjusting to the light. He his slowly focused so, he could study the room he was in. He could see a wall with a skillfully carved bureau. He could also see several layers of sheets covering him. "Where am I," Ranma thought to himself as he attempted to turn his head. He quickly realized he couldn't move his head to the right because of the other person in the room. The other person was curled up to him and was hugging him tightly. So tightly that Ranma couldn't turn to his right   
  
Ranma had a history of waking up with people in bed with him. He began the standard operating procedure. His thought process was the following: "Step one, am I in immediate danger? Probably Not, unless her father finds us this way.   
  
Step two, what information do I have? I don't recognize the room. The person is female from the large... Mmm let's skip that part. She's blonde, he gathered from a strand of hair at the edge of his field of vision. She seems to be asleep from her breathing patterns.   
  
Step three, who do I know whose female and blonde? Answer... Brit and Gina. Assumption based on available data. Female is not Brit or Gina. Supporting argument is that neither of them seems the type to be in bed with me. New conclusion based on historical data.... Another fiancee due to Genma's Stupidity."  
  
He was still thinking, when the figure next to him rolled over in her sleep. Ranma's train of thought suddenly ended as her knee made contact with the Saotome family jewels. Ranma screamed in pain and rolled off the bed to the left. He hit the floor on his side before stumbling to his feet, ignoring the yell from the other side of the bed. He moved in a stance as the girl groggily stood on the opposite side of the bed. He quickly evaluated the tall, blonde hair young lady and not a fighter.  
  
"Caroline," Ranma yelled in surprise. He quickly noticed she was in a full-length green velvet dress.  
  
He then noticed she wasn't staring at him... or at least at his face. His senses then decided to alert him, that he was drafty (AKA He wasn't wearing anything). At this moment the door to the room burst open as two blonde females and a red hared female entered the room.  
  
The trio stopped in the doorway and lowered their weapons. Ranma quickly recognizing the three females and decided quickly on course of action two (course of action one, was to run like hell). He quickly grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around himself.  
  
He then bowed low to the red head and said, "I don't know what's going on. But I would like to apologize sensei.  
  
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Ranma. It's nice to see you already back on your feet," Julia said with mirth in her voice. "I see you already met the her Highness, Princess Caroline Vandenburg."  
  
"Highness," Ranma asked in confusion? As he came out of the bow.  
  
"It's a long story Ranma," Gina said. "Let's get you some food and we tell you what's happened in the past month.  
  
"And your father will hear of this Caroline," Julia said to the blushing princess. Caroline quickly left the room with a healthy blush.  
  
  
Twenty minutes later...  
  
A dressed Ranma came down the stone spiral stairs with Brit as an escort. "By the way where are we," Ranma asked?  
  
"Melbourne, the largest Vandenburg city," she replied.  
  
"Okay," Ranma replied.  
  
"Save your questions, Mom can explain better than me." Brit replied before continuing down the stairs.  
  
Several minutes later Ranma was in the castle's kitchen polishing off a seventh plate of food. "He's a dragon, I tell you," one cook mutter to his assistant.   
  
Julia, Brit, and Gina sat at the table with Ranma. "Feel like talking now, Ranma." Julia asked with a smile.  
  
"Sure sensei," Ranma replied.  
  
"Basically, I've been trying to prevent a war between several large Barbarian tribes and several small kingdoms. Several small towns and tribes were slaughtered to the last person on both sides and everyone wanted revenge," Julia said. "We eventually found a third party was trying to start a war. And you managed to make yourself the target of the force behind it all."  
  
"What?" Ranma asked as he scratched the back of his head.  
  
"Basically you blundered into the mages plans and caused some real havoc," Gina added.   
  
"So how did you find me," Ranma asked?  
  
"I had Theo keeping track of you with magic," Julia replied. "I couldn't have you getting killed. Nodoka would never forgive me. Theo was tracking you and lost you in Aiken. During your fight with the Necromancer, you destroyed some of the wards protecting the keep from scrying. Once Theo located you, he was then able to arrive and save you. He brought you Melbourne so the healer could finish healing you," Julia said sipping on her wine.  
  
"Well that explains everything," Ranma said. "So when do I head home," Ranma asked?  
  
"Tomorrow, your the guest of honor tonight." Julia said with a smile.  
  
"Guest of honor," Ranma asked?  
  
"King Cromwell the Third is hosting a banquet tonight in your honor," Ms. Diggers said.  
  
"Okay," Ranma said scratching his head.   
  
"You haven't told Ranma the good news, yet." Brit interrupted.   
  
"I managed to convince the king, that you couldn't marry his daughter. Due to your unique past," Julia replied.  
  
"Yeah, Caroline didn't take it very well," Gina said.  
  
"Caroline? She's the king's daughter," Ranma asked before biting into a apple?  
  
"Of course, you would've been the next in line for the throne," Gina replied.  
  
"You father would have a heart attack if he knew," Brit laughed. "He would agree if nothing else for the fortune, you would have inherited."  
  
  
Back in Nerima...  
  
Genma stealthily made his way towards his goal. Genma's eyes lit with greed as he reached out his hand. He then sneezed.  
  
  
  
"Don't touch the cookies until after dinner," Nodoka said reprimanding her husband as she resheathed her katana.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
p.s.: Comments & suggestions are helpful. If you have anything useful to add please e-mail me.  
I'm going to school this summer but I can hopefully release the next chapter by August. Thanks. 


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